"The Gambler:" Paramount's Last Picture of 2014

Paramount Pictures is set to end 2014 with a bang, as it will be releasing the remake of the 1974 "The Gambler" on Dec. 19 across the world. The film got its first airing at the American Film Institute Festival (AFI Fest) at the start of November and has received a mixed bag of reviews thus far.

Here is an outtake from the original 1974 film: The original starred James Caan, who went on to play a leading role in "Godfather: Part II" that same year. In Rupert Wyatt’s remake, we will see Mark Wahlberg play the lead role of Jim Bennett a University professor with a millionaire mother, who continues to get him out of his predicaments via the American dollar.

As Bennett struggles with his addiction to gambling while attempting to hold down a profession, he runs into a series of unsightly characters. None more so than the frightening loan shark played by John Goodman. As Bennett stumbles through life, he begins to burn bridges and then the plot starts to thicken.

Although the mixed reviews haven’t been overly bad, it has seen many film hacks liken it to "Runner Runner," which in 2012 only made a miserly fraction of the $30 million it cost to make the film as reported by Moviefone.

But all in all, the casino genre in Hollywood films on a whole has become a very lucrative niche.

Riding on the coattails of the popularity that poker now commands worldwide, many filmmakers are exploring this niche to bring the next "Rounders" or "Casino Royale" to the silver screen.

With online casino gaming more popular than ever after its initial launch in 1996 through the trailblazing InterCasino, it seems natural for
companies like Paramount to cash-in on such trends.

So, if you want to see out the end of 2014 with a great movie, you can do a lot worse than to catch this remake of "The Gambler."

Check out the trailer: